Freedom
by LovelyInspiration
Summary: The ocean is many things to many people. For some, the huge body of water is terrifying. For others, it's alluring yet secretive. For Chase, it was freedom.


**I'm back again! Unfortunately, I've had a little cold since Saturday night. But, of course, I wasn't _quite_ sick enough to not attend school. Great... For some reason, I thought having annoying allergies today warranted posting this one-shot early. But, enough about my life that you didn't ask or seek to know about.**

 **This story was very much inspired by my love of the ocean. It's so pretty and majestic; I hoped to put those feelings into a story. I was successful with this! It is Chase-centric. Not that you guys mind Chase-centric, right? Yea, I know I tend to overdose on it... I _am_ mixing it up as of late, however. So, bear with me. I'm still posting stuff I wrote this past summer. When I post the recent projects, they'll have a bit more variety.**

 **So, that ends my background info on this one-shot. Enjoy!**

 **I do not own Lab Rats.**

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He sighed longingly as he gazed upon the horizon. The sapphire-blue ocean lay in front of him. It sparkled under the setting sun almost acting as an illuminator for this deserted beach. Oh, how he envied the ocean! It was wild, unpredictable, and mysterious. It went where it pleased. It did as it wished.

The waves rose, curled in, and folded on themselves. The ocean sustained itself. It was the mediator of continents. Surfers and captains were at its mercy. The ocean could choose to spare them, allow them to glide through without incident, or toss them about like laundry in a washing machine. No one dared to mess with the ocean; it was powerful, and people recognized that.

He sighed again. He wondered what it was like to not have responsibilities or ridiculously high expectations placed on you. He imagined it would be like breathing for the first time. His family wanted perfection. They wanted a strong, fearless, bionic hero: 24-7. Sometimes he didn't want to be strong- like now. Right now he wasn't strong. If he was, he wouldn't have run away to the beach.

He had no choice, though. They had backed him into a corner with their rebuke.

 _How did this happen?!_

 _You were supposed to have it under control!_

 _It was your job!_

 _I am so disappointed in you._

Those phrases were etched into his mind. Why was everyone so mad at him? They rescued all the researchers. Sure, Davenport's facility was reduced to a smoking heap of ash, but no one got hurt. Okay, maybe there were a few bruises, but nothing lethal. Besides, Davenport was rich! Why couldn't he just rebuild?

Sometimes he felt his family just made up things for the purpose of shunning him. He was never good enough. He wished they would stop focusing on the _bionic_ part and start focusing on the _human_ part. For once, he wanted the responsibility to fall on someone else.

Honestly, however, he was just as furious with himself as everyone else. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes; the salty air filled his nose. A brisk ocean breeze brushed against him. He didn't blame his family; he was disappointed in himself, too.

 _A gust of wind hit his back as his sister sped back into the facility._

" _We evacuated everyone," she announced. "How's it going?"_

" _Horribly! I can't seem to figure out how to shut this down!"_

" _What? Well, hurry up! We don't have all day!" Bree pushed him._

" _I'm trying my best! Give me some space!" he yelled. He regretted scolding his sister like that, but he was frustrated and panicked._

 _He now sensed his brother enter the room as well. "You're not done yet?" Adam was annoyed._

 _He sighed exasperatedly, "No! This Electron Collider is more complicated than I anticipated."_

 _Despite his siblings' worried rambles, his fingers continued to furiously type on the control panel. He was so rushed that his finger accidentally hit the wrong key. That, however, was enough to cause massive problems._

" _Self-destruct in 20 seconds," an automated voice authoritatively rumbled from the console._

 _His eyes widened._

" _Okay! Time to go!" he urged._

 _He and his brother quickly locked arms with Bree, and she sped them out of Davenport's facility in the nick-of-time. A huge boom emitted from behind them, but he didn't have to turn to know what happened._

It didn't have to go downhill. The Electron Collider was unstable but not imminently dangerous. He _made_ the situation imminently dangerous. All it took was that one slip-up to ruin everything.

He re-opened his eyes when his cell phone began vibrating. He pulled it out of his pocket. The screen lit up with a new text message.

 _Chase where r u? We're getting worried-_ **Bree**

He looked up from his phone and back at the ocean. There was one more thing he noticed; it wasn't weighed down. The ocean was liberated and independent.

He reached down to pull off his shoes. One-by-one, the red high-tops fell on the beach. His bare feet snuggled into the golden sand, squirming in its warmth. He took another glance at his phone. A small smile grew on his face. Gradually, he uncoiled his fingers from around the shiny metal and released it from his grip. He let gravity do the rest.

Slowly, he approached the shoreline where the ocean met the sand – where emancipation met him. At first, he stood there and allowed the cold, blue liquid to come up and wrap around his ankles. But after just a few minutes, he dove in. He swam out until he reached calmer waters.

He turned around to face the distant shore. His legs kicked feverishly under him to keep him afloat. His smile grew. He turned on his back and stared up at the evening sky. Floating there, he felt something he had never felt before.

Happy? Yes.

Peaceful? Yes.

Free? Definitely.

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 **Did it end like you thought it would? Let me know in the comments if you guessed that ending! If you didn't, tell me what you thought was going to happen. Reviews for authors are like candy for kids. Share your thoughts about the story with me; it helps me become a better writer and gauge what you guys like to see! What did you like or dislike? Let me know!**

 **With that said, I'll see you guys later!**


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